Same-sex marriage and the paradox of Australia's PM

Australia's prime minister has long supported duet, however will he possess the influence - or the need - to form it happen? The BBC's Greg Dunlop investigates.

When Malcolm Turnbull ascended to power in 2015, several Australians hoped the new prime minister would take action to legalize duet.

A year to the day later, he introduced a parliamentary proposal for a national vote. The bill was ultimately doomed to fail.

Mr Turnbull had familial the vote plan from his forerunner, Tony Abbott, and it baby-faced opposition from the beginning. Those folks argued the vote was unessential, high-ticket and would expose gay and lesbian couples to abuse. They wished a free pick out parliament.

But the new leader enshrined the vote as associate degree election pledge, aware dynamic tack would divide his political party.

"It is a problem of conscience for countless Australians," man Turnbull would later say in defence of the bill. "From very cheap of my heart - our society would be stronger if additional folks were married."

In August, a survey of five,500 LGBT Australians by lobby cluster simply Equal found that eighty fifth opposed holding the vote. 3 months later, the bill was defeated within the Senate.What next?

In March, man Turnbull became the primary sitting prime minister to attend Sydney's noted Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, control in his japanese suburbs seat of Wentworth.

He had been over and over before. however simply days when the vote defeat, Mardi Gras organisers passed a motion declaring he was "not welcome" at next year's event.

"We wished to specific our disgust at his prime ministership as a community and to mention that we do not want his phony friendly relationship," explained Cat Rose, World Health Organization suggests the motion.

But Alex borough, Australian wedding Equality chairman, cares the talk is changing into a "political football".

"This has been a very powerful and frustrating time for the gay and lesbian community," he tells the BBC.

"Tony Abbott wasn't a first-rate minister that supported wedding equality. we have a tendency to currently have one that will. each supported the policy of a vote. currently that it's behind U.S. we're hoping that will|we will|we are able to} work with the govt. to the purpose wherever enough (parliament) members can vote freely, and in line with their conscience, so we will finally accomplish wedding equality."

Successive polls have shown a majority of Australians support duet. The Labor opposition currently desires it, however man Turnbull's party is split.

However, Mark Antony inexperienced, the Australian Broadcasting Corporations's election analyst, says predicting the vote result would are difficult.

"The necessary issue to recollect is that in Australia, ballot is mandatory," he says.

"The read is that individuals World Health Organization haven't very thought of the problem tend to vote for the establishment and against amendment."

With solely a one-seat majority in parliament, man Turnbull has very little area to manoeuvre.

According to reports, government backbenchers area unit currently discussing ways that of partitioning the problem before successive federal election.

A parliamentary vote is claimed to be among the planned solutions.

But on Sunday, man Abbott warned man Turnbull the party wouldn't enable this - citing Donald Trump's rise as proof folks were "sick and tired" of governments dynamic their word.

"It was a awfully elementary commitment that we have a tendency to gave to the folks at the last election," man Abbott told Sky News.'Hamstrung' PM

Malcolm Turnbull has arguably the nation's most spectacular resume, having already been a scholar, rich person factor, personal consultant to media mogul Kerry Packer, lawyer within the Spycatcher legal battle and leader of the Australian republican movement.

But that may be a part of the matter, in line with Don Watson, associate degree Australian author and former political author. He believes the prime minister's views might replicate his position in Sydney society over a thought-about political philosophical system.

"We thought Malcolm Turnbull may bring his rather additional enlightened or realistic social philosophy to the work, however it appears he's seriously hamstrung by the opinions inside his party," he says.

"Maybe we have a tendency to had it wrong - he is not a 'small l' liberal in the slightest degree. he is a awfully pragmatic person. 1st and foremost he is a bourgeois banker and a professional person. he is done enormously stream of the neoliberal philosophy and that is fine. however i do not assume it's brought what you would like to be prime minister."

Author and political commentator patron saint Megalogenis believes man Turnbull is additional doubtless to pursue problems his party agrees on - like the economy - than duet."I imagine for him the priority would be to urge a budget place along and check out and acquire that through a awfully tough Senate. i am unsure duet may be a fight he'd wish to require on currently, not withstanding his personal views," man Megalogenis says.

"Same-sex wedding appears to be one thing that Labor desires to push as a result of they comprehend it can divide the govt.."

Is man Turnbull willing to risk that?

Don Watson says establishing legitimacy inside caucus and also the citizens may be a challenge for any prime minister. It's ne'er immediate.

He says the prime minister should pray for 2 things: "He wants luck and he wants time."